Love Is Always
by MrsWeasley99
Summary: Draco Malfoy is in love with Hermione Granger. But while many people are not too fond of this relationship, one person will not tolerate it: Lucius Malfoy. But to Hermione and Draco, it doesn't matter. Love is important to them and it can last forever and always.


SMACK.  
The impact from Lucius Malfoy's hand caused Draco to fall down and break into tears. He held his cheek with his left hand as he sobbed.  
"Dating a Mudblood?" said Lucius quietly to himself. "No son of mine! Disgrace!"  
He slapped Draco in the face once more with more force. Draco buried his face into his bedroom floor.  
"I l-love her, Father," Draco sobbed.  
Lucius reached down and forced Draco to his feet by grabbing him by the back of his shirt. He turned Draco so that he was facing him and harshly took hold of his  
collar. They were nearly nose to nose.  
"What was that, Draco?" Lucius whispered.  
Draco took a deep, shaky breath and said, with a little more confidence, "I love her."  
Lucius didn't say anything. Instead, he reached behind his back and pulled out his wand.  
"Crucio," he said pointing it at his son.  
Draco wailed and fell to the ground, shaking hysterically. The pain was unbearable. He wanted to die. But his father didn't care. He hoisted him onto his feet once  
more and said, "If I hear you EVER say that again in my house, I will use that curse on you until you are driven mad. Of course, being in love with that Granger girl  
might just show that the madness is already there."  
"You're the one who used the Cruciatus curse on me!" said Draco in a defensive voice.  
"You're the one who is choosing to be unloyal to the Dark Lord."  
"Maybe I don't want to be loyal to Voldemort." He spat out Voldemort's name.  
"CRUCIO!" yelled Lucius.  
Again, Draco let out a terrible scream that echoed throughout the large manor and fell to the ground, madly twitching and shaking. He let out a sob.  
"You will NEVER use that name. EVER!"  
"Get out," said Draco.  
Lucius obliged and slammed the door behind him. There was a click and Draco knew that his father has locked the door. Still shaking from the excruciating pain, Draco  
got up and looked into the mirror. There was a red handprint on the left side of his face. His platinum blond hair was a hideous mess (probably from shaking so hard  
all over the floor), his cold gray eyes were swollen with tears, and the red handprint seemed to be getting brighter and brighter against his pale skin. He had to get  
out. He had to leave. As much as Draco should loathe Mudbloods, he is indeed in love with one: Hermione Granger.  
It started a year ago. It was the end of their fourth year at Hogwarts. Draco found Hermione sitting alone by the Black Lake. He knew that he should turn  
around, but he didn't because he heard a sniffle that insinuated that Hermione was crying.  
"Granger?" said Draco before he could stop himself. He even clapped his hand over his mouth. Hermione hastily wiped away her tears and looked down into her lap.  
"Hey," she said, clearly trying to sound casual. Draco had never thought that he would be caught alone with Hermione Granger, or any Mudblood for that matter. But as  
cruel as he usually seemed, he secretly hated to see any girl cry. He slowly walked up to Hermione. He stood up, looking down at her. He couldn't think of what to say;  
he knew that if he did the right thing (being nice), he would have a completely different reputation. So he stood there in silence. He was at a loss for words. But he  
had once dated Pansy Parkinson, and he knew that sometimes she just liked it when he was in her presence. Hermione's bushy brown hair covered the sides of her face, so  
Draco couldn't see whether or not she was done crying. But then she looked up at him. Her brown eyes were still filled with tears. She took Draco's hand and placed it  
on her shoulder. Draco felt an electric shock go through him at the breif contact-a shock that he'd never felt with Pansy. Not even when they kissed. What was  
different? Did he maybe...have feelings for her?  
No, he thought. She hit me last year, she's a Mudblood, and she's friends with that Potter.  
But he wasn't moving his hand. It was like he was trying with all his might to remove it, but it was practically glued on there. But it wasn't. He just didn't  
want to move it. He enjoyed it.  
"Granger-um, Hermione," said Draco awkwardly sitting down beside her, "what's wrong?"  
She sniffled and said, "Viktor Krum. H-he's leaving and he was my first b-boyfriend. I've n-never felt this way about anyone b-before. And now he's l-leaving and I  
don't even know if he'll s-say...g-goodbye!"  
She finished in a sort of shreik that turned into a sob. She leaned into Draco's chest and Draco felt an even bigger electric shock than the first time. Draco put an  
arm around her. It was a strange position because his arm was closer to around her head, but she didn't seem to mind. She seemed to like it.  
"Hermione?" said Draco. Hermione peeked up at him through a mass of bushy brown hair.  
Draco hesitated (but he meant this) and said reluctantly, "You'll find someone great. Better, actually. I promise."  
Hermione brushed her hair from her face and sat up straight.  
"Draco..." she whispered.  
One second her brown eyes were locked intimately with his gray ones, and the next second they were closed and he felt her warm lips on his. This time there might as  
well have been a firework show inside of Draco's body. At first they were going to keep that secret, but eventually Ron found out and he was so angry throughout fifth  
year that he told everyone. As mad as Hermione and Draco were, they were half-glad that they no longer had to date in secret. The good news: there was no more hiding.  
The bad news: Hermione lost most of her friends. Well, she had Luna Lovegood, who always saw the good in people. And Neville Longbottom, who actually took the time to  
understand the situation: that Draco was no death eater and that Hermione was still good and pure.  
Draco was so caught up in this memory that he had barely noticed that he had already packed his trunk. Maybe the anger towards his father was so strong that it came  
naturally. He unlocked his window, climbed outside into the rainy outdoors, and walked. And walked. And walked until he reached a strange place. He knew precisely what  
it was: Knockturn Alley. How he got there, he did not know. But what he did know was that Hermione stayed at Hogwarts over the Holidays, and if he could just Floo  
himself there, he would be able to see her again.  
He took the shortcut into Diagon Alley and went into Flourish and Blotts where Floo Network was accessible. He grabbed some Floo powder and stepped into the  
fireplace.  
"Hogwarts!" he shouted and he threw the powder onto the ashes beneath his feet. He was swirling around in warm emerald green flames and when it stopped, he found  
himself in the fireplace of the Gryffindor common room. Hermione was the only one in there. She was in her night clothes and her hair was twisted up into a knot. She  
was reading a book called 'Ghastly Goblins'. Draco knew that his clothes were covered in ash and that his hair would be soaked because of the rain, but he did not  
care. His girl was right there in front of him. She got up, ran into him, pulled him into a bone crushing embrace, and kissed him.  
"I missed you," she said.  
"I missed you too," said Draco.  
The door bursted open.  
"THERE!" shouted a man's voice. The voice was all too familiar to Draco: Lucius Malfoy. He was with their ugly toad-like professor Dolores Umbridge.

Umbridge's office was painted in pink. The whole room was pink, despite the cats that were portrayed on platters upon her wall. They screached at Hermione and  
Draco as they walked in.  
"Miss Granger," said Professor Umbridge in a sinister, disapproving voice, "you are most certainly the last person I would expect to see showing this much public  
affection."  
"It wasn't public!" exclaimed Draco. "No one else is up at 1 AM and it's the Christmas holidays, for Merlin's sake!" Lucius smacked him on the back of the head.  
"Ooh," said Umbridge, "also out of bed after hours."  
She picked up a pink clipboard and wrote something on it with her quill. Hermione looked like she was about to cry; she was never one to get in trouble.  
"Well, it looks like I've overestimated the two of you. You put on this act in class to make me believe that you two would be as bright as the sun and as pure as  
nature, but no. You two have just now lost my trust and my great opinions on you. You both deserve to be punished. Lines, perhaps?"  
"I say we use the Cruciatus curse," says Lucius.  
Hermione and Draco knew that it would not be wise to speak at the moment but they wore desperate looks on their faces.  
"Well," said Umbridge, "you are this boy's father, and the girl's parents are Muggles so they would not be able to enter the Hogwarts grounds. But you being Mr.  
Malfoy's father, you can also decide Miss Granger's punishment, seeing as they are clearly...involved with one another."  
She wore a horrible fake smile. Lucius wore a smirk.  
"Same goes for the girl," he says.  
"Alrighty then," said Umbridge. She drew out her short wand and gave it a flick. Before Hermione and Draco could defend themselves, ropes tied around their hands,  
their feet, their mouths, and two chairs appeared out of nowhere and they were forced to sit in them. They writhed and shook against the ropes and the torture hadn't  
even started yet. It was much worse when Umbridge said, "Crucio!" and the two felt the searing pain throughout their bodies. They screamed against the ropes around  
their mouths but it was useless. There was no way anyone could hear them. But they were wrong. Because the next moment-  
"STUPIFY!"  
It was a woman's voice. The spell hit Umbridge and she fell to the ground. When she fell, Hermione and Draco saw who it was: Narcissa Malfoy. She pointed her wand at  
her husband. Lucius held up his hands in defense.  
"Relashio," she said, pointing the wand at Hermione and Draco. At once, the ropes disppeared and she beckoned the two to hide behind her.  
"Our son," she whispered to Lucius, still pointing her wand at him. "Our only son." She gasped a bit.  
"Narcissa..." Lucius seemed speechless. "He-he's dating...GRANGER."  
"So he shall," said Narcissa, a note of finality in her voice.  
"Father," choked out Draco, who was sandwiched between his mother and girlfriend. "I don't care what you say. I love Hermione. And...my love life is not for you to  
decide. Because you don't even know what love is."  
His father looked aghast.  
"Love is about making sacrifices," continued Draco. "It's about being there for that special someone. It's about doing things, even if they seem silly just because you  
know she likes it." He smiled at Hermione and she smiled back. "I have never witnessed real love with you and Mother. You only cared about yourself and she was there  
for me...always." Narcissa took her son's hand. Draco held it for a breif second and stepped out from between the two girls.  
"In summation, I love her. That's all there is to it. And there is nothing you can say that will make me change my mind. The only reason you don't want me to be with  
her is because you're all wrapped up in your stupid pureblood life to care about anyone or anything else. Not even me."  
For the first time, Lucius seemed to be showing emotion. He wore a look of extreme guilt on his face and he was rubbing his hands together nervously.  
"Son," he began, "I do care about you. But...my father never cared about me. Voldemort and pureblood women were the only things that seemed to matter to him. It's all  
I've ever known growing up. And...I felt sorry when you were born because, well, I was practically forced to join Voldemort's side and I know what he's capable of. But  
you were not tempted. You chose what you wanted. Not what I wanted. I guess that since it's the first time you've done so, I feel sort of...betrayed, shall I say? But,  
I guess that if you really...REALLY love Granger-um, Hermione-then, I accept it."  
He finished with a smile. Draco smiled back. Lucius trapped Draco in a bear hug and Narcissa smiled. She hugged Hermione. The hugging ended and Draco ran over to  
Hermione and kissed her for the first time in front of his parents, so glad that his father finally agreed to letting this wonderful girl into his life.

*7 years later*  
Mr. Granger locked arms with his daughter. He looked slightly pained that in a matter of minutes he would be giving his only daughter away to Draco Malfoy, the  
boy she used to loathe back in first year, second year, and third year. But he accepted him just like the way Lucius had accepted Hermione.  
Hermione's dress was beautiful: solid white, long sleeves, slightly low V-neck, full back exposure, and so long that it dragged behind her. They walked down  
the aisle and Hermione looked up at her future.  
She's beautiful, thought Draco as she made her way to the front. She looked over at the two men on the right of the stage: her best friends Ron Weasley and Harry  
Potter who smiled reassuringly at her. On the left were her two female bestfriends Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood. They also smiled. She now stood in front of Draco.  
Hermione and Draco only partially listened to what the preacher said. The time they really listened was when the preacher said:  
"Do you, Draco Lucius Malfoy, take Hermione Jean Granger to be your wife?"  
"I do," said Draco.  
"Do you, Hermione Jean Granger, take Draco Lucius Malfoy to be your husband?"  
"I do," said Hermione.  
"You may kiss the bride!"  
They kissed.

*13 years later*  
Hermione and Draco sat in the front two seats of the car, Draco behind the wheel. 13 year old Rose Pansy Malfoy and 11 year old Scorpious Hugo Malfoy were in  
the backseat, Rose already in her new Ravenclaw robes.  
When they arrived at King's Cross Station, Scorpious jumped out of the car and sprinted to the entrance. Rose was this elated when she started two years ago as  
well. Only, maybe slightly more.  
The other three got out and followed. They found Scorpious talking to his friend Albus Severus Potter who was Rose's age. Lily Luna Potter would just be  
starting today with Scorpious, though.  
"Ron!" said Rose as she walked through with her parents. Ron was her mother's best friend and Rose might as well be his too. He was with his wife Lavender Weasley and  
his five kids: Candy, Valerie, Aurora, Fiona, and Isabel. Yeah, five girls. Lavender did the name picking.  
Draco walked on by and found his son sitting on his trunk. He seemed a bit down.  
"Scorp?" said Draco.  
Scorpious looked up at him. "Dad," he said. "I'm nervous."  
Draco put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't be. I was when I started. So was Rose. I wouldn't know about your mother. We used to hate each other."  
"Wow! Really?"  
"Yeah." Draco chuckled. Scorpious hugged his father.  
"I love you, Dad," he said.  
"I love you too, Son."  
They let go and Scorpious hugged his mother and boarded the Hogwarts Express. Rose ran over to her mother and hugged her.  
"I'll miss you," said Rose.  
"I'll miss you too," said Hermione.  
Rose hugged her father.  
"Love you," he said.  
"Love you too," said Rose.  
She got on the train as well and waved her parents goodbye in the same compartment as Scorpious. Hermione and Draco watched their children proudly and waved  
them goodbye. The train's engine roared to life and began to move. Rose and Scorpious disappeared from sight. Draco felt tearful.  
"Draco," said Hermione. "Remember back in our fifth year when you said that love was very important?"  
"Yes. Why?"  
"Do you still believe it? Even through marriage? Even towards our children? Towards me?"  
Her eyes filled with tears but she was smiling. Draco took her face in his hands and placed his lips upon hers. They broke apart and Draco said, "Always."


End file.
